Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- When Sen. Mark Begich looks at the next two years , he says he is not concerned about the tough votes he is bound to have to make that could have an impact on his re-election in 2014 .

The moderate Democrat from Alaska even laughs a bit when he says , `` Every vote we take here is tough . ''

`` My strategy has always been to do what I am going to do and focus on my issues , '' Begich said in an interview with CNN .

Begich is one of six moderate Democrats from `` red '' states whose terms ends in two years . Max Baucus of Montana , Kay Hagan of North Carolina , Tim Johnson of South Dakota , Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Mark Pryor of Arkansas are among the 20 Democrats whose terms will be up in 2014 ; Republicans will defend 13 seats .

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Though no Republican has declared a run against Begich , speculation in Alaska is that Gov. Sean Parnell will challenge the first-term senator . Since 2008 , when the former Anchorage mayor narrowly defeated incumbent Republican Ted Stevens , Begich has voted as a moderate and has shown willingness to work with the other party .

At times , he says , that can get lonely : `` You feel like a Lone Ranger sometimes . ''

Asked about positions he has taken on oil and drilling or on transportation in the 112th Congress , Begich said , `` Sometimes I feel like I look around and I look behind me and there are n't many national Democrats there . But that is the way it goes . ''

Though fiscal cliff and budget issues are likely to dominate Congress ' lame duck session -- and likely the new Congress -- there are any number of issues that could emerge in President Barack Obama 's second term that could test moderate Democrats .

Much has been made of liberal Democrats Elizabeth Warren and Tammy Baldwin elected to the Senate last week and both parties being pulled away from the middle , but Begich points out that moderate Democrats Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Joe Donnelly of Indiana also were elected .

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Senate votes will be heavily scrutinized in midterms

But Begich 's optimism may not be well-founded -- the reality , says Nathan Gonzales from the Rothenberg Political Report , is that even the most benign votes Begich and his fellow moderates make will be used against them in 2014 .

`` Senators that are up for re-election are up under a larger microscope . Their votes will be dissected even more closely when they are in cycle , '' Gonzales said .

Joe Manchin of West Virginia fired a warning shot -- literally -- to his fellow Democrats when the former governor was running against Republican businessman John Raese in the special election to fill the remainder of the late Sen. Robert Byrd 's term .

In a 30-second statewide TV ad , Manchin fired a bullet through a symbol of the House-passed cap-and-trade legislation -- a bill incredibly unpopular in his coal-rich state -- thereby both highlighting his opposition to the proposal and trumpeting his support of Second amendment rights .

Democrats may also be emboldened by the way voters in some states last week supported Democrats in the Senate even while voting for GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney .

`` We learned from Tuesday 's results that voters are willing to split their tickets , '' Gonzales said .

In Indiana , Missouri and North Dakota , all states in which Romney outran Obama by more than 10 points , Democrats won Senate seats . Though ill-chosen comments on rape by Todd Akin in Missouri and Richard Mourdock in Indiana helped the Democrats in each case , Landrieu 's chief of staff , Jane Campbell , is encouraged .

Though she did not guarantee victory -- `` I am not telling you that it is going to be easy . Her races have never been easy , '' Campbell said -- she did sound confident .

Landrieu `` has run three times in a state that has always had a Republican lean , and her numbers have gone up every single time , '' Campbell said . Every election `` she has always been among the top targets and she has always shown the people of Louisiana and they have asked her to come back . ''

Campbell noted the senator focuses on issues that her constituents care about , singling out protecting the state 's bayous , holding BP oil company responsible for recovery from the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil disaster , and education .

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Focusing on issues important to constituents

Begich took the same tack -- listing issues like oil and natural gas , drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and transportation -- as his selling points to Alaskan voters . Throughout the conversation he mentioned issues most Democrats would n't touch , like auditing the Federal Reserve , strengthening gun rights and lowering the corporate tax rate .

Begich 's strategy seems clear -- focus on issues that matter to Alaskans for the last two years of his term .

`` I always run like I am 15 points behind . You always run hard , '' Begich said . `` I am focused in the last several years on the issues that matter to Alaska . ''

But how does that jibe with the wider Democratic caucus ?

When the 113th Congress is commenced in January , Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will have to unite his caucus . With a mixed bag of priorities , and a handful of more moderate members focusing on getting re-elected in 2014 , that could prove taxing .

`` Leader Reid has a difficult task and I think the president is going to be looking to define his legacy , '' Gonzalez said . `` I think he is going to try to get something big done that is going to have political consequences . The ones who have the most on the line are the people who will face voters in the midterm . ''

Jim Manley , who used to work as the chief spokesman for Reid , said he expects that the majority leader is going to go out of his way to make sure every Democrat feels comfortable with each vote .

`` There are different ways to juggle votes , '' Manley said . `` In the end , Reid understands that they have to do what they have to do to get re-elected . Reid understands that they need to do what they have to do to represent their constituents . ''

After all , Manley pointed out , Reid has had to do this ever since becoming majority leader in 2006 .

`` He spent the last couple of years juggling the competing concerns of -LRB- moderates -RRB- Joe Lieberman and Ben Nelson against the demands of -LRB- progressives -RRB- Sherrod Brown and Bernie Sanders . ''

Begich says he assured Reid before the 2012 elections that he is ready to take hard votes and that the leader does n't have to worry about putting him in a tough spot . Even so , said a confident Begich , he likes where he is two years out from the election .

`` Some of the guys who were running for re-election -LRB- in 2012 -RRB- had to moderate in my direction , '' Begich said . `` I came in with these positions already because that is who I am . ''

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With both parties being pulled away from the middle , Senate Dems face uphill climb in '14

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Six Democrats from states that voted for Romney are up for re-election in midterms

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Mike Begich notes that two Democratic moderates were elected last week

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Begich and Mary Landrieu of Louisiana say they 'll focus on what their constituents want